Scorcio modero!
A couple of days of less scorching weather followed by another couple of days of scorching temperatures. Same old, same old. The weather people did suggest there might be some rain on Thursday but, apart from a drop at about 9.30 on Thursday evening, we saw none. Clouds but no rain. The new normal.
The prolonged hot and dry spell means that half of England is now officially in a drought. It seems that July had only 7% of its expected rainfall and some areas (including the West Midlands which is where we are) have had only about 1%. Everything is brown – the grass & fields look more like the Serengeti than the normally lush green fields of England. And, various parts of the country are enjoying lovely warming wildfires – not yet on a scale to match what is going on in France and Spain but just wait – we’ll get there!
And, if we needed any more signs that climate change is real, this year we’ve seen a plethora of Hummingbird Hawk moths. We first saw them in France in about 2007 on our cycling holiday. Although they are seen in the UK from time to time, this summer’s hot weather and strong winds from the south seem to have blown them all over the UK. If the climate continues to warm, they will very likely over-winter here and become an established species in the UK according to experts.
“Butterfly and moth experts told the Guardian that 2026 could be a bumper year for hummingbird hawk-moths in the UK after a boom in sightings during recent weeks. Hot weather and strong winds appear to have brought many of the insects here from more southerly climes.
The Guardian
We had a few days away this week – we visited with our good friends the Waltons and Kelly-Browns at the Walton’s estate in Baunton near Cirencester. Wednesday evening we dragged our hot, sweaty bodies into Cheltenham for dinner followed by a play at the Everyman Theatre.
Dinner at The Ivy was “undistinguished” I’m afraid. It is housed in a very impressive building – the Montpellier Rotunda and the ambiance is great. And, the service was exceptionally good – prompt and attentive – we had about five or six waiters/waitresses attending to our needs. However, the food, or at least what I had, was sadly mediocre. I don’t think we’ll be going again.
After dinner we wandered down to the Everyman Theatre for Northanger Abbey. The play was meant to be a farce-like comedy but, unfortunately, the performance wasn’t terribly convincing – a few muted chuckles but not much else. It had the feeling of a Sixth Form or amateur dramatic society performance – perhaps that’s what they were aiming for? There were five actors who played all the roles and they worked their socks off but they were struggling with fairly mediocre material. Still, a fun night out regardless.
YCNMIU
I’m not sure to what extent the Farage farrago will have been covered by your various local news outlets. So, please forgive the following detail for those of you who are familiar with the story.
Nigel Farage is the leader of the Reform Party in the UK, a party somewhat to the right of Joseph Goebbels. Just before the last election, Farage said to his party faithful that if he were to stand for election to Parliament he would need at least £1 million per year to enable him to continue to lead the livestyle to which he has become accustomed. Shortly thereafter he received a £5 million donation from a Thai-based crypto-tycoon. Surprise, surprise, a few weeks later Nigel decides to stand in the election and is duly elected by the voters in the constituency of Clacton-on-Sea.
Sadly, Parliamentary rules require MPs to declare all donations they’ve received up to year in advance of their election and sadly, Nigel did not declare this donation. This prompted a Parliamentary investigation which was just getting under way when Nigel decided to throw his toys out of the pram and resign his seat rather than face the music. A by-election will be held next Thursday and Nigel has decided to stand again, somehow imagining that if he were re-elected he wouldn’t have to go through the investigation. Unfortunately, the Privileges Committee has already announced that the investigation would indeed continue if he becomes an MP again.
Nigel wanted to paint the by-election as him, a man of the people, against the establishment which was clearly prejudiced against him. The “establishment” declined to indulge his fantasies and decided not to put any candidates up against him. So, he is standing against a motley collection of novelty candidates and splinters from the even loonier right wing, the most well-known of which is Count Binface.
Here’s hoping!
One quick example of the lovely Nigel’s hubris – the new PM decided to convene a cross-party group to seek consensus on how to reform social care. The Conservatives and Lib Dems agreed to join. Farage then complained that he should have been invited as well. Thankfully, someone pointed out to him that, since he resigned his seat, he is no longer a member of Parliament!
Nope, you could not make it up!
And finally, no birthdays this week as far as I can see but we should wish a Happy Anniversary to our lovely niece Emily and her husband Miles. They have been married precisely one year. Only a few more to catch up with Penny & me.
Meanwhile, keep breathing, keep happy, keep smiling, keep exercising, be good, be careful, and keep safe. And, be gentle to wasps and bees – we need all the pollinators we can get. And, hold your loved ones close.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg